Legal Question in Real Estate Law in Pennsylvania
Property Lines
My neighbor has stated that since he has cut the grass on the side of my house that is my property, that he now can claim that property for his own. Does he have any legal claim and if so how do I stop him.
2 Answers from Attorneys
Re: Property Lines
In law school they taught a mnemonic of what was needed to make out a claim of adverse possession. It was OCEAN and it stood for Open Continuous Exclusive Adverse and Notorious. It is very difficult to make such a claim in Pennsylvania. The reason is that the land has to be held for 21 years and meet those conditions. So, unless your neighbor was cutting the grass on the side of your house for 21 years without your permission and was claiming it was his property and excluding you from using the property by fencing it in or posting a sign, you shouldn't worry about it. But you should start cutting the grass on that side of your house yourself.
Re: Property Lines
The doctrine of adverse possession does allow a person, under certain circumstances, to gain ownership of property if certain requirements are met. Contact me and we can sit down and discuss what we need to do in order to make sure your neighbor never fulfills these requirements. I am available next week for an appointment.
Related Questions & Answers
Looking for something else?
10,200 active attorneys ready to answer your legal questions today.
Featured Attorneys
Earn additional revenue and grow your business.
